Muuelomuuel (Red Flowering Currant Ribes sanguineum) Flowering

Observation: Muuelomuuel is the word in the Yurok langauge for (Red Flowering Currant Ribes sanguineum. Muuelomuuel is now beginning to flower near the mouth of the Klamath River. Using Yurok Traditional Knowledge we know that this means Ke'ween (Pacific Lamprey Lampetra tridentate), also known locally as "Eels", are running up the river. Eels are an anadromous fish and are a traditional food still regularly eaten by Yurok people.

LEO says: This observation demonstrates the interesting phenology in of Muuelomuuel in Yurok knowledge. Phenology is nature's calendar and can be an indicator of environmental change such as climate change.

As defined by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary:

Further reading:

For more about Muuelomuuel (or red flowering currant) see: http://pnwplants.wsu.edu/PlantDisplay.aspx?PlantID=91

For more about the Pacific Lamprey see: https://www.fws.gov/pacificlamprey/mainpage.cfm

For more about traditional Yurok eeling methods see: http://www.yuroktribe.org/documents/march_final_2013_web.pdf

Excellent newspaper article: https://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/13/us/hooking-an-eel-where-the-klamath-river-meets-the-pacific.html?_r=0

Phenology info: http://budburst.org/home